First Year: September 1st, 1971
The Hogwarts Express
As Told By Jennifer Potter
"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"
I tried in vain to stifle the laughter that was threatening to explode.
I couldn't help it; growing up with James meant that you had to have an appreciation for humor and this jib had certainly fit quite well.
The redhead's face was fraught with anger and her face was slowly beginning to match the deep color of her hair.
She stood up angrily, folding her arms as she did.
I recognized that.
That was the universal sign of an eleven year old girl that told you quite clearly that she wasn't in the mood for "immature" games.
"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment," she said to the greasy haired, hooked nosed, sallow skinned, crooked teeth, and unfortunate looking boy.
The redhead shot glares laden with eye daggers at James and his new pal; I watched her carefully as her eyes passed by me quickly.
Quickly enough for me to know that her anger hadn't been directed at me per say, since I hadn't spoken a word, but not quickly enough for me to miss the obvious accusation in her eyes.
The accusations that shouted at me for not controlling my cousin and his new friend better.
Ha! As if anyone could control James Potter…
As the redhead and the oddball boy left the compartment, James called after them, "See ya, Snivellus!"
Watching the odd pair of friends disappear, I couldn't tell just what sort of feelings I was having at the current moment.
I suppose I could say that I was happy that I hadn't necessarily earned myself an enemy; I didn't much fancy the idea of being at odds with someone when we hadn't even reached Hogwarts.
Yet at the same time, I couldn't help the feeling of resentment towards the redhead and the unfortunate looking boy called Severus.
Who had Severus been thinking he was, anyways? Neither James nor his new pal had actually insulted him personally, but he starts throwing jibs at James for nothing.
And that redhead!
I hadn't meant to be eavesdropping but it was impossible to live under the same roof as James Potter for the majority of your like without picking up some troublemaking skills.
From what I heard, though I was well aware I was making hasty judgments about people I did not know, it sounded like Severus had persuaded the girl to do something wrong.
It also sounded like Severus didn't give a rat's arse about the girl's sister, who was quite obviously a Muggle.
I didn't think she was in great position to be lecturing others about proper friendship behavior.
I let my mind drift as I vaguely paid attention to James and his friend's conversation. It was hopelessly boring and full of pleasantries that I didn't like to bother with.
"… probably get a Howler tomorrow morning at breakfast if I'm not sorted into Slytherin," the boy said to James.
Gazing at him discreetly, I noticed that even for an eleven year old, he was blessed with aristocratic beauty and an elegant vestige that you'd be hard-pressed to find in any family other than a old pureblood family that was clearly the "nobility" of the wizarding world.
He had striking grey eyes that seemed to look like they pierced into your soul, along with the nicest head of hair I've ever seen on a boy.
It looked silky, lustrous, and well taken care of, though significantly longer than James's hair.
The color of his hair was also pitch black, almost precisely the same shade of jet black as James's and my hair.
His robes were also clean and perfectly form fitting; it certainly didn't look like he had just strolled into Madam Malkin's and gotten them like anyone else.
They looked custom tailored; precisely made to suit his body and no one else.
Yes, he was definitely from one of those old, wealthy, pureblood families; though judging by his open derisiveness towards Slytherin, he must have been the odd child out.
"… might be related to Jennifer!"
At the sound of my name, I snapped out of my reverie, dragging my eyes away from James's new pal's face and towards James himself.
He didn't seem to have noticed me eyeing his new friend up and down. James said in a rather impatient tone, "I said that Sirius here might be distantly related to you!"
"How?" I blinked in confusion. I had no family other than James, and his parents.
James let out a small noise of impatience as he repeated for my benefit, "Sirius is a Black. Aunt Dorea was a Black, wasn't she?"
"Yes, she was but distantly related…" I murmured, not knowing why I wanted to tact that last bit on in the end and certainly not knowing why I didn't like the idea of being related to Sirius Black.
I felt his firm gaze on me, however, so I turned my eyes from James, who was lounging easily in his compartment seat next to me, to Sirius who indeed had been staring me down.
The only hint that he wasn't totally annoyed with me was the slightly amused smirk playing at his lips.
It was far too familiar, a smirk like that.
I had seen it on James numerous times before.
"I vaguely remember a Dorea Black, though if you tell me who your mother was related to I'll be able to refresh my memory. Then I can tell you how you're related to me," Sirius said smoothly, his tone betraying his amusement.
James stared back at me expectantly too.
Scowling at him, I huffed. Honestly, what was it to him how we were related, anyways?
"Charis Black was her fourth cousin. James, you know that Mum never kept in touch with her family; they were too far distantly related, and she never told me much either," I said, feeling miffed for some odd reason.
The second part of my statement, however, seemed to be lost as Sirius's eyes immediately lit up in recognition.
"Yeah! Charis Black! Her father was Arcturus the Second, and his nephew was Arcturus the Third, who happens to be my grandfather!" Sirius said excitedly.
I blinked at him flatly.
I didn't even want to try to comprehend what on Earth that would make me to Sirius, but it seemed that he and James had already got it figured out.
James nodded, his face showing the same excitement as his friend, saying, "So your grandpa is Jennifer's mum's fifth cousin! Blimey, mate, you're related to everyone!"
He sounded so ecstatic, like he had just been told that he'd been given the newest model of the fastest broomstick for free or that Christmas had come early.
I just raised my eyebrows at my cousin and ask, "And why is knowing how I'm related to Sirius important?"
"Oh it's not; all that is important is that it confirms the belief that all pureblood families are connected to each other in some way," Sirius waved his hand dismissively.
"Come again?"
"You must know what I'm talking about!" Sirius said with disbelief.
Seeing my blank face, he clarified, "Pureblood maniac families like mine have been pounding into my head the belief that I need to marry a pureblood, but think about it. How many of us are there, really? We all have to be interconnected somehow…"
I frowned. Huh… I had never thought of it that way.
Misreading my frown for confusion, Sirius rolled his eyes and said, "Look, Jen. Even all Muggles are interconnected somehow if you go way back. We all had to come from somewhere, right? It's just that we purebloods can trace our family history easier."
Several things about his statement shocked me, and I realized that, in the long run, it wouldn't ever be the first time that Sirius Black shocked me.
There was something about the way that he said something so entirely profound that surprised me. The fact that he had thought of stuff like this was odd, not the very least, for an eleven year old.
And of course that had nothing to do with the fact that he had already gave me a nickname to replace my nickname.
Let's just say that Jennifer isn't my real name.
I stopped commenting, however, long enough for James and Sirius to turn back into their own animated discussion, most likely about Quidditch or something of the sort that boys loved to talk about.
First Year: September 1st, 1971
The Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
As Told By Sirius Black
Fate, something I didn't believe in as an eleven year old (and not something that I ever believed in, really), worked in funny ways.
Looking back, I believe it all started because of a name. Not just any name, though perhaps last name might work. But it was a first name, or a legal name.
Something so trivial that I wasn't meant to find out, yet something that basically triggered the events for the next seven years.
Fate also worked in weird ways, such as making me born with an inherent lack of self-control and an inherent skill to be reckless and sometimes stupid.
I shouldn't have said it, really. I shouldn't have went on about it, if I wanted to be a gentleman.
But despite everything that James had warned me about as I got into a boat with him, a skinny bloke named Benjy Fenwick, and a complete git who wouldn't stop verbally showing off named Bertram Aubrey, I had to poke fun at Jennifer.
First, I come to believe that she has a perfect normal name, albeit slightly boring, like Jennifer, making me silently wonder whether her parents and James's parents had planned for their names to both begin with the same letter.
Then, I find out that Jennifer is actually a cover-up for her real name, something that James had accidentally let slip during our wonderful journey on the Hogwarts Express.
The three of us had shared a compartment the entire ride, we had only been interrupted once by some gits whose parents knew my parents, and we had unlimited food because of all the gold we had on us.
It had been great, and Jennifer's real name was just the icing on top.
I was laughing silently at the Gryffindor table, a decision by the Sorting Hat that had shocked the entire Hall into silence before the Gryffindors, and a few teachers, Professor Dumbledore most likely, broke out into unsure applause.
Andromeda, seventh year, had clapped loudly for me, but Narcissa looked furious.
Andromeda was still sending me beaming grins from the Slytherin table. No doubt it would be Narcissa who would spill the beans and make me suffer through a Howler tomorrow morning.
Or afternoon or dinner, if I'm somehow lucky. I was almost positive that Narcissa was secretly sending off a letter to my dear old mum right at this very moment.
She still looked livid and not even her idiot boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy, could calm her down.
I would have felt guilty about being Sorted into Gryffindor, but the only sort of regret that I could come up with was the scare for Regulus, and at the current moment, I didn't want to think about Regulus.
Though I was positively reveling in being Sorted into Gryffindor, I knew that my Sorting would be all sorts of trouble for Reg and there would be no way he would be Sorted into Gryffindor.
James was literally sprinting off of the stool after only having sat there for two seconds, but I couldn't be focused on even James's excitement that he had been chosen instantaneously for Gryffindor.
What I was focused on was the roll call.
Just as expected, McGonagall called out in that strict no nonsense voice of hers, "Potter, Guinevere."
Guinevere.
In all honesty, it wasn't an ugly name; if I had to grudgingly admit so, it was a nice sounding name, even if it was a name that should have stayed in the 15th century.
But Jennifer's embarrassment was far more amusing than her actual name, which was why I had to take the mickey out of her.
Had she brushed it off easily like it had been no big deal, I probably wouldn't have pressed the matter and maybe I would have even considered giving her name a well-hidden compliment.
She hadn't though, brushed it off, and instead, took it in a way that I could only blameFate for because in the years to come, I would learn that Jennifer Potter was not one to feel embarrassed about anything.
Not even the incident including a fellow Housemate, a bloke, and a broom cupboard, and some intimate alone time.
My eyes never left Jennifer as she silently glared at me; no doubt a string of curses and several potential useful hexes had just ran through her mind as she hopped onto the stool, allowing McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat on her.
I, who had half expecting her to make some sort of gesture to the whole school that they were not to call her Guinevere, had been sincerely disappointed as she began her Sorting.
That wouldn't be the first time in a long time that I've been disappointed by Jennifer Potter, as my puny eleven year old self should have realized.
Jennifer's Sorting had taken far longer James' had.
It was taking even longer than my own Sorting, and the Hat had temporarily been speechless that a Black could be fitting for a House other than Slytherin.
It spent at least a minute pondering that bloody thought.
Old sodding frayed patched git of a Hat.
Then, I began to worry; it was entirely silly of me to worry yet so much so that it is the plausible thing to do.
Worry whether my new best mate's cousin was ever going to be Sorted and when the hell she's going to finally get Sorted into Gryffindor.
Because I spoke for James when I say that it would not be pretty if Jennifer was Sorted anywhere else.
For the first time in many ages, I started to wish I paid this girl more attention. Maybe if James and I had paid her more attention, then I wouldn't need to be worried about what House she-
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Thank Merlin and Godric," James exhaled loudly, finally loosening his grip on the edge of the table.
He must have looked and was a hundred times more anxious than me, judging by the complete lack of color in his face.
I had exhaled loudly too; I wish I could say that it was more out of relief than anything but if I was being honest to myself, there was another reason besides 'the James' reason why I wanted her to be Sorted into Gryffindor.
First Year: September 1st, 1971
Gryffindor Tower: 1st Year Girls Dormitory #1
As Told By Jennifer Potter
By the time I finally retired up for bed, James was still going on and on about my Sorting.
Yes, so what if I seemed to be a dilemma to the Sorting Hat because I had too many qualities that would suit too many houses?
Honestly, the way that James was going on and on, a nearby passer would have thought Salazar Slytherin himself arose from the dead and told everyone that he was setting a basilisk loose in the castle.
"Good night James," I said wearily with a sigh as I started going up the staircase to the girls' dormitories.
From behind me, James was being loud and being a complete bother but I ignored that all as I thought about my dorm and my dorm mates.
The silence that consumed me as I climbed up the stairs was gratifying and I almost felt hesitant in opening the door when I came to a stop at my destination.
Gryffindor 1st Year Girls: Dorm #1
I smiled to myself, the edges of my mouth lifting themselves up unconsciously as I stared at the golden plague with pleasure.
Bravely and boldly, I pushed open the door with a wide grin.
"Hello, I'm your new roommate," I introduced brightly as I stepped into the room, smiling at the four other inhabitants.
Three of them smiled back brightly and introduced themselves while the fourth said her name politely but could barely spared me a smile.
I had expected it.
I was rooming with Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Mary Macdonald, and Lily Evans.
The only one in the entire room with whom I didn't have history with is Mary Macdonald; she, being a Muggleborn, had never attended those dreadful parties where I had been introduced to the McKinnons and the Meadowes, and she hadn't stormed out of my compartment because my cousin and his new best friend was at odds with her friend.
A greasy haired, creepy looking slime ball who had immediately been Sorted into Slytherin.
Mary and Marlene both had brown hair, though Mary's is light enough to be considered a caramel brown color whilst Marlene's was dark enough to almost be black. Mary was also petite as compared to Marlene's taller figure. On the other hand, Dorcas had blonde hair and light green eyes.
And of course there was Lily Evans, dark red hair and brilliant emerald green eyes, who currently looked as if she had a pickle with me.
Taking a break from my unpacking, I looked up from my nearly empty trunk and sighed. I turned my body to the left so that I was facing Lily and decided to put her out of her misery.
"So out with it Evans. What is it that you want with me? You've been staring at me nonstop for the last fifteen minutes," I told her in a no nonsense tone.
Having someone like James Potter for a cousin made you constantly well aware of your surroundings; this revelation was a surprise to Lily as shock fleeted on her face before resting into something that looked like resignation and acceptance.
"I don't want to make you my enemy just because your brother and his friend are completely immature toe rags who like to make fun of my friend," Lily said firmly, standing up and slowly walking over to me.
I could see Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary stop what they were doing from the corner of my eyes.
There was a part of me that recognized that Lily Evans didn't want to be my enemy, but there was a bigger part of me that felt irritated by the latter part of her sentence.
"You know, one, James is my cousin, not my brother; two, your friend made the first personal insult to them on the train, and three, no I would not want to be your enemy but I don't appreciate you talking that way about James and Sirius," I told her firmly.
My deep blue eyes, which were a rarity with my hair color, must have flashed with anger because Lily glanced into them unsurely.
Safe with the knowledge that Lily wasn't going to jump down my throat, I relaxed. To make a point of this, I took a deep breath and leaned against one of the posters of my four poster bed.
I gazed steadily at Lily; I didn't honestly think she was horrible, and there was nothing wrong with being friends with her.
Being friends actually would have been great.
As silly as it had been, I almost expected her to say something like "No we cannot be friends" or something of the likes because of her Slytherin odd ball friend, but instead Lily just stayed silent.
I wasn't quite sure whether I found that relieving or insulting.
She didn't deem me important enough to her to receive an answer, but then again, I could spare myself from her answer, if such an answer were to be something negative.
It didn't matter, however, whether I had personally been insulted by a lack of answer or not.
My new social life at Hogwarts and my happiness with new friends at Hogwarts didn't depend on Lily Evans, but it seemed so remarkably self-righteous of Lily Evans to not deem me with an answer when she had been introducing herself to as many of our fellow house mates during dinner.
Like I said, Lily Evans' friendship didn't matter to me, but my respect for her did.
Quickly, I grabbed my toiletries from my trunk and glared at Lily Evans.
"You know, whether you extended that hand of friendship or not, I cannot find a more self-righteous person. Whether you become my friend or not is hardly the issue here. You can introduce yourself to everyone, all of our house mates at dinner, and act friendly but you cannot even attempt to act friendly to me? When I had done nothing to your bloody friend, even if he deserved it? You can easily shout at my cousin and his friend for being rude, yet you're being remarkably rude yourself," I informed her coldly, my blue eyes probably flashing with anger.
Without another word, I quickly and quietly swept across the room and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
In solitude, I recognized that I may not have been fair; after all, we were only bloody eleven. I was being overly dramatic.
But that other infuriating voice in me that wasn't spewing out common sense told me that it did matter, really.
It would matter because your friends are the people who determine the person you are, the person you want to become, and the person you wish to be.
With more and more people becoming sympathetic to the man called Voldemort who wishes to purge the entire wizarding world clean, yes, it was something that I cared about, the type of people that you want to be your friend and the type of person you want to become.
James and I had eavesdropped on enough adult conversations to know that Voldemort was a threat.
Even from the beginning, the War didn't leave us alone.
It crawled and creeped up to us in the most unexpected of ways, twisting the beginnings of a beautiful friendship between Lily Evans and I.
It was at the center of the disagreement and rift between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. For a long time, we had been told the sort of people that joined up with people like Voldemort, and we had firsthand experience of the pureblood mania, namely the Black Family.
How easy would it be to just pretend like this entire ordeal was as easy as just making friends? I could probably march out this room, apologize to Lily Evans, and maybe we could start over.
But whether Lily Evans knew or not the war that would inevitably threaten to take over all of our lives, I couldn't do it among other reasons.
Since my parents died of dragon pox when I was young, I had been living with James and his parents. They were my only family left.
I was not a fool; I was almost sorted into Ravenclaw so I knew what type of arrogant idiot James could be but he was family.
Sure, there were our extended relatives, but what did they matter, really? Which of them, except for one of my slightly distant cousins, cared for me as James and his parents had?
James was of my own blood. He was the one who had been there through every one of my significant life event so far, and the one that I'd be willing to go to great lengths for.
Even if I could ignore the war, ignore the importance of making good friends, ignore the person that Lily Evans had already associated herself with, I couldn't ever ignore her attitude towards James, and even Sirius as he was probably going to be James's best mate for the next several years to come.
And that was why, as I finally exited the bathroom, I said a curt good night to everyone before climbing in my bed, not daring to make any eye contact with anyone in case someone unleashed the puppy dog eyes for me to want to make peace with Lily Evans because it was only the first bloody day of our first year at Hogwarts.
I dreaded to think what other sorts of trouble would follow us in our seven years at Hogwarts if this was what our first day had been like.
First Year: October 4th, 1971
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
As Told By Jennifer Potter
I couldn't say that I hadn't seen it coming; I had seen it coming, which was why when the day came, I was already prepared.
There had been no way that James would have continued to be my best friend even throughout Hogwarts.
That wasn't to say that I loved him any less or that we were fighting, but it was the inevitable.
Let's face it, James Potter's cousin I may be but that had nothing when compared to Sirius Black, a boy who I believe is James Potter reincarnated, Remus Lupin who had the brains and secret mischievousness to shock all, and Peter Pettigrew, a boy who, although was first lumped together with the Marauders because there was no one else in the dorm, was brilliant in his own way.
And being Jennifer Potter's cousin wasn't going to make James my number one go-to candidate that day.
It was probably ridiculously anticlimactic to say that day because it brings about the impositions that it was some major Earth-shattering event.
But instead, it was merely recognition on both James's side and mine that although we would love each other unconditionally, we weren't the go to person for each other's problems any more.
"I really can't believe that this is an issue," I told him, furrowing my eyebrows confusedly.
Honestly, why was this actually a problem?
On what sane planet would anyone ever want to get detention just because their best mate got detention as well?
Yet, somehow, that idiotic plan was running through James's mind.
I couldn't see why James had been completely horrified when he related to me the story of dropping Dungbombs in the Slytherin Common Room and McGonagall had only punished Sirius.
"Why not?! This is major, Jen! We need to land myself a detention before Friday night! There is no way that Sirius will walk into a detention without me," James said petulantly as the two of us exited the Great Hall after lunch on Tuesday.
"We?" I voiced incredulously, still amazed at just how James's brain could work.
We had our first practical exam coming up in Transfiguration and he was worried about how he can land himself in his first detention?!
I resisted the urge to laugh because even as I said it to myself in my head, I knew that that was just the type of thing James would do.
James snorted, throwing his arms around me. He said, as the two of us walked to Charms, "Sure. We. You need to help me come up with something. Remus, the poor bloke, is ill. Apparently he doesn't have too good of an immune system. Pete's hopeless, and Sirius is useless because he's attempting to be a normal, non-trouble making student in order to appease Andromeda."
"Andromeda, like his cousin?" I clarified, with a frown. "Why on Earth would Sirius want to appease Andromeda?"
"He likes her, doesn't he?" James shrugged, like it explained everything. "She, their Uncle Alphard, and maybe his little brother Regulus are the only ones in his entire family that he'll be willing to toe the line for. His Uncle Alphard managed to talk his mum out of disowning him for getting Sorted into Gryffindor, to "give him a chance". Sirius would never turn his back on them."
I was completely baffled; I knew Andromeda in passing, and she waved hello to James and I while we were with Sirius.
I knew that she was dating Ted Tonks, a Muggleborn, in secret, James and Sirius having sworn me to secrecy. I knew that she was a brilliant Witch and very kind, even in just the one month I'd been at Hogwarts.
But I never thought that Sirius would be willing to toe the line just because Andromeda had asked him to.
It seemed out of ordinary behavior for Sirius. He didn't toe any line, and certainly not if someone asked him to.
He and James saw rules as more of guidelines and suggestions rather than rules.
When I pointed this out to James, he frowned. "Take it this way; think of Andromeda as Sirius's own Alex. Except for imagine that our dear slightly distant cousin grew up with us. That's what Andromeda is. She's not afraid to tell Sirius the truth because she's not scared of him being scared. She's not going to coddle him just because he's only eleven, and… well, Sirius respects Andromeda as much as we respect Alex but more. And he loves Andromeda more than we love Alex, in that familial sense, of course."
Alexander Griffiths, our slightly distant cousin who was more than ten years older than the both of us, seemed to have more appreciation for our nerves than did James's parents.
In family dinners, we relied on Alex to tell us what Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle William would not tell James and I.
No one liked the fact that Alex spoiled us whenever he saw us but fact remained that Alex was probably the only family member besides James, Aunt Elizabeth, and Uncle William that truly cared for me.
"Right… so I suppose that all makes sense, somehow," I told him slowly. The two of us had long reached the Charms classroom by now so the two of us quickly went inside.
"Sit with me, Sirius, and Pete today. Remus is still at the Hospital Wing," James said, tugging at my hand to follow him.
Quickly, I waved in apology to Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary who had been saving me a seat. They thankfully took it graciously and just grinned at me with a wink as I sat down by the boys.
A little further away, Lily was sitting with Severus Snape, both of them looking displeased with James and I.
"So my fair lady, Guinevere, did you have some good suggestions for my friend James here as to how we can land him in detention?" Sirius asked conspiratorially.
We were practicing the Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos, and one of my favorites. I could already see how it would be remarkably useful in the future.
I glared at Sirius as I clicked my teeth with annoyance. "How many times, Sirius, have I told you not to call me that?
He was the only bloody one that called me Guinevere and frankly, it was getting on my bloody nerves.
Sirius was completely undeterred as he said, "Come on. You must have had some good ideas. You grew up with James!"
"Yes but I don't see what that has got to do with anything!" I told him graciously before I turned back to my spell.
I had nearly got it; a few more moments of silent concentration or Dorcas's useful tips would be immensely helpful.
"So have you got anything?" Sirius interrupted me, the spell nearly having come out right that time.
I turned a displeased eye to Sirius (and James, for that matter).
"If you mutter one more word then I will make sure to beat you till you're black and blue. And I don't see what is so hard about getting a detention. Why not just drop more Dungbombs around the castle?" I told them sarcastically.
"No we can't do that. That takes away the brilliance of it all; it has to be perfectly planned and perfectly executed with tons of people to witness it; like when we flung food at the Ravenclaw who had been laughing at Pete," James said seriously.
Indeed, James and Sirius had landed themselves in their first detention on their second day at Hogwarts.
A Ravenclaw had been snickering about Peter's eating habits and making snide comments about his weight. Out of anger, James and Sirius flung a load full of food at him.
It was the fastest anyone has ever gotten a detention at Hogwarts.
I paid him no attention as I continued to practice my Charm. I would help them when I was done learning myself.
It took me another five minutes to perfect the Lumos charm but it had been worth it. I actually loved Charms because though, most people consider it a soft option, I considered it to be what was the most brilliant about Magic.
Transfiguration was fun, definitely, but it had nothing on Charms. It was almost sad, I reflected with a despondent sigh, that not as much people enjoyed Charms as I did.
However, I did place my wand down and turn back to the boys, who had been muttering and talking nonstop for the last five minutes.
I didn't find it fair that James and Sirius already had gotten the Charm down perfectly, way before this class, though I wasn't sure I could say the same of Peter.
"So what plans have you boys got?" I asked critically to them.
James gave me a satisfied grin. "We got it already. What we're going to do is simple and completely brilliant. Want to hear it?"
"Only if you don't land me in detention," I told him but leaned in to listen as well.
And so James told me their plan; it was actually a fairly funny one though they'd need help from Andromeda again.
They planned to make a copy of the large portrait of Godric Gryffindor in our Common Room and plant it in the Slytherin Common Room with a Permanent Sticking Charm; the portrait of Godric Gryffindor would replace the portrait of Salazar Slytherin.
I could already imagine the Slytherins' horror when they discovered a large portrait of Gryffindor in the place where Slytherin usually is.
Though I couldn't see how that would land James in detention, it would be hilarious.
"Oh that's brilliant! I hate that you want to get detention, James, but that is a good idea," I admitted with a reluctant smile.
James looked pleased with himself but Sirius cut in, "I don't see why you're so against getting detentions and everything. What's wrong with that?"
"Besides that the fact that they're a waste of time and I don't want that sort of thing going on my record? It sets a bad behavior and a bad precedent," I told them wisely, trying my best to hide my smile.
Unfortunately for me, James had spotted it. "Out with it Jennifer. What is it you're not telling us?"
"Nothing!" I insisted with wide eyes. My innocent, I'm-not-telling-a-lie eyes. "I just don't want people to get the wrong impression of me."
Namely the fifth year Gryffindor prefect whose best mate happens to be the older brother of Alice Whitaker, a very friendly third year girl with whom I've gotten close with.
Apparently, the innocent look I had been going for was too innocent, as James and Sirius immediately started bombarding me with questions.
Peter stayed silent though I knew from the look on his face that he was deathly curious.
"So you obviously have someone you want to impress," Sirius managed to fish out of me after we had shown our perfected Charms to Professor Flitwick, Peter failing slightly but his failure covered up by our successes.
"Not anyone in particular," I said stubbornly. "Can I go sit with my friends now?"
James cried with horror, "No you cannot; not until you tell me what you're hiding from me! You never have secrets from me, Jen…"
I paused and stared at James.
It was then that I had my anticlimactic discovery that James was no longer the first person I confided to and James no longer needed me to help him cause trouble.
James had managed to think of a perfect prank, completely without my help, and this hadn't been the first prank and mischief that these boys have caused in one month.
I had been crushing on a fifth year prefect by the name of Wayne Robinette and the first person I told was Alice, then Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary.
Lily must already know since she was in the dorm but she was doing a fine job of ignoring me so I couldn't be sure if she cared enough to listen to our conversations.
Though I was in no mood to explain to James that it was possible to have feelings for the opposite sex even at eleven, at least for me, the thought that James and I were no longer each other's number one go to person saddened me.
"Hello? Earth to Jennifer?" James waved an irritable hand in front of my face.
Dramatically and completely unnecessarily, I took his hand and pulled it to my lap, a frown on my face.
James was about to say something but I cut him off by lowering my voice significantly and leaning in. "I don't want to get detention because I want to make sure that our fifth year prefect doesn't get the wrong impression of me," I told him, the same frown still on my face.
"Why would you want to impress prefects?" Peter asked confusedly.
"Keep up, Pete. She obviously fancies him," Sirius said impatiently, looking irritable. "What I can't understand is why on Earth would you want to fancy Wayne Robinette when-"
"Can you keep your bloody voice down?" I hissed angrily, clapping my hands to Sirius' mouth and muffling his next words.
He was so bloody loud and uncontrollable.
When I was sure Sirius wouldn't start on a rampage and announce to our entire Charms class about my crush, I huffed and pulled my hand down and turned to James.
He had a weird expression on his face well as he said, "Your friends know, don't they? McKinnon, Meadowes, and Macdonald."
I nodded sadly. "Alice Whitaker knows too. She's the reason why I haven't completely given up in the first place."
There was a silent moment as Sirius was most likely trying to gauge the situation between James and I while Peter was still mightily confused.
James and I stared at each other and like that, an understanding passed.
No words were needed and no curses were thrown. Just a complete understanding of how even a month of Hogwarts has changed us.
"I'm sorry James," I said softly, sighing a little. I wasn't quite sure how just a bloody month of Hogwarts could change us so much.
He shook his head, a grin coming onto his face. "Don't worry about it; you have your mates and I have mine but in the end, we're still Potters."
"Potters forever?" I replied with a smile.
"Potters forever," James agreed.
I grinned at him and got up.
Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and a friendly wave to Sirius and Peter, I said, "Well I'm off. Marlene said she has news for me about Wayne and I'm dying to hear it."
I ignored James's (and Sirius's) horrified and overprotective expression as I collected my things and flounced away towards Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary.
Yes, everything would be okay for James and me.
First Year: February10th, 1971
Gryffindor Tower: 1st year Girls' Dormitory #1
*******
As Told By Jennifer Potter
It was pathetic, but yes, I was crying over a boy.
I was crying over a boy who literally didn't know I existed.
Wayne Robinette had decided to get himself a girlfriend; they have been holding hands and kissing everywhere in public and I couldn't stand it anymore.
Obviously, I never had a chance to begin with but it was remarkably upsetting when you find out that your first crush barely knows your name and fancies someone else.
"I… f-f-f-feel s-s-s-s-s-so STUPID," I wailed as I sat on my bed, sniffling and eating the chocolate Mary had given me at the same time.
Chocolate always makes the soul feel better.
Alice, the brilliant and wonderful and amazing Alice Whitaker, patted by back comfortingly, her arm around my shoulders.
"Don't feel stupid! It's my fault, if anything. I told you to just go for it," Alice sighed sadly, showing off just how great of a person she is by saying that.
"No of course it's not your fault, Alice!" Marlene said horrified, taking the words right from my head. "Jennifer doesn't blame you!"
To show that I agreed with this statement, I just nodded, but continued my gaze on my flowery bed sheets.
I felt stupid, crying over a boy couldn't put my name to my face; but this was the first time for all of us.
Neither Alice nor her best friend Emmeline Vance had been through any of this sort of rubbish.
"Come now, Jennifer. It'll be alright, now," Dorcas said gently, trying to reason with me.
Taking a deep breath, I knew what she said was true. I was being silly and it would be alright.
I had overheard some older students say how five people were reported dead in this morning's Daily Prophet, and here I was, crying because some boy I didn't know existed got a girlfriend.
While the five of us, Alice, Marlene, Mary, Dorcas, and I sat there crowded around my bed while I finished off the last bit of my chocolate with the four of them cheering me up considerably, the door swung open.
There revealed Lily Evans, holding a tub of ice cream and looking unsure of herself.
As she slowly closed the door, I watched her curiously as she then slowly and still really unsure, cross her way to my bed.
"Hullo Lily," I said lifelessly while the others waved or smiled at her in recognition. I had always felt uncomfortable calling her Evans, even if we technically weren't on close terms.
It felt just wrong to call your roommate by her last name.
She stopped in front of me and I looked up at her curiously. Lily squirmed and I noticed how uncomfortable she felt.
Immediately, I felt guilty about making one of my dorm mates uncomfortable around us, even if I was crying. That just wasn't the sort of thing to happen; hell, James's roommates were now his best friends.
Most of these days since September, Lily and I try our best to be cordial and civil to each other.
She hung out with that good for nothing Slytherin friend while I hung out with Marlene, Dorcas, and Mary, and occasionally Alice and Emmeline.
"I saw Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew downstairs," she said softly. "They heard you were upset and wanted to give you ice cream but they couldn't get upstairs."
Silently, she handed me the ice cream, my favorite flavor of chocolate chip cookie dough.
It was also my favorite brand of Wizarding ice cream, James no doubt having gone through the trouble of finding me ice cream and knowing how much I loved my ice cream.
I snapped my thoughts away from James, however, and glanced back up at Lily.
I gave her a wide smile, or as wide as I can manage it, and said, "Thanks Lily. Do you want to sit down and hear my sob story?"
Fate once again did work in different and many wonderful ways.
Because I was not the type of person to hold in my emotions when I felt them and because I was the type of person that liked to express myself, I invited Lily Evans to sit down while I told her how stupid I was to like a fifth year who didn't know I existed.
It was also because Lily Evans was a great listener and that she could related on a woman to woman scale of why I felt the need to cry and vent that day.
It was because of those aspects about both Lily and myself that I found myself repeating the story from the beginning to end, including every single tidbit in there that I earned myself a true friend.
After all, it was hard not to become friends on either of our parts when there was a situation such as this that made all of the females in the room connect to each other.
It was because of my confession and Lily Evans' angry bashing of Wayne Robinette that from that day on, Lily Evans's only friend wasn't Severus Snape and our dorm was, finally, a united front against whatever evils might be thrown at five girls, be it anything from slavishly difficult Transfiguration essays to the worries of acne to the confusing mind that belongs to the opposite sex.